While the world is full of examples of how artists have connected their works from studio to collector, the advent of the internet unleashed on the world a whole new landscape enabling artists to take greater control of their destiny.
When
Etsy arrived on the internet, the options for artists and craftsmen to sell their wares were limited and often mismatched (i.e. Ebay).
But Etsy did a lot more than just present another platform as it continued to evolve itsbrand to reflect a different corporate value structure.
The biggest shift came when Etsy decided to become a Benefit Corporation (or B Corp), upending the once thought to be traditional path of all startups that sought to maximize profit while also enabling a massive rapid growth.
On Monday evening, Local First welcomes artists and the curious to join them at
LaFontsee Galleries as they welcome Matt Stinchcomb, co-founder of Etsy and executive director of
Good Work Institute.
Stinchcomb will share his fascinating story of how a post-punk garage band musician went from touring to cofounding Etsy and later to go on to produce a new type of business school unlike any other via the Good Work Institute (formerly known as
etsy.org). You will not look at your resume the same way after hearing this special guest speaker at one of Grand Rapids’ oldest galleries.
In addition to Stinchcomb’s LaFontsee Galleries free lecture, the Esty cofounder will be speaking earlier on this day to The Economic Club of Grand Rapids. For more information, you can go
here.